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Psalms 121:7-8
The Lord shall preserve thee
from all evil: he shall preserve
thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy The Lord shall preserve thy
going out and thy coming in
from this time forth, and even
for evermore.
Holy thou art GodSong of the month.Holy, holy, Thou art
holy,Holy Thou art GodThou art worthy, worthy,Thou art worthy,
WorthyThou art God OhAngels bow before Thee,heaven and earth adore
Thee
Angels bow before Thee,heaven and earth adore Thee
Holy, holy, Thou art holy,holy Thou art GodWorthy are You,
Lord,my strength and my songBlessings and honor,wisdom and power is
Yours aloneWorthy, worthy, Thou art GodAngels cry, Holy, I give You
praiseWorshiping You, Lord for Your majestyBowing over and over
againblessed Lord God, almightyAngels cry, Holy, holy, holy,
holyWorshiping You, Lord for Your majestyWho on earth is like unto
our GodWho is this King of Glory
Holy, holy, Thou art holy,Holy Thou art GodThou art worthy,
worthy,Thou art worthy, worthy Thou art GodTo receive power,riches,
wisdom, strength,holy Thou art GodTo receive praise, honor,
glory,blessings, holy Thou art GodAnd You shall reign foreverand
ever and ever, holy Thou art GodAnd we sing Glory, glory, glory,
glory,holy Thou art God
Holy, holy, Thou art holy,Lord, Youre holy, holy, Thou art
GodThou art worthy, Thou art worthy,Creator, Deliverer, Redeemer,
and friendYoure holy, holy, Thou art GodTo receive power, riches,
wisdom, and strength,Youre holy, holy, Thou art GodTo receive
strength, honor, Lord, glory, and blessingsYoure holy, holy, Thou
art GodAnd You shall reign forever, Lord, and ever and everYoure
holy, holy, holy, Thou art God. Holy art ThouWe sing, Glory to One
who was and is and is to comeHoly, holy, holy, Thou art God
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On a sleepless night, I lay
awake pondering the term
used. So often we as a
people dont want any-
thing used, we want the
new: new cars, new
clothes, new homes, new
shoes.you get the jest
of itright?? Yet, as
Christians we often pray,
Lord use me. So what
exactly does that mean?
Well to me that means be
prepared to get dirty, be
pushed around, walked
on, stepped on, rejected,
and sometimes just down-
right battered. But then we
dont want to think of it
like that. Consider
this.if something is
used it has been at some
point dirty, or walked on,
or stepped on, or rejected,
or worn, or abused and
possibly even broken. So
think about that the next
time you ask the Lord to
use you. Make sure you
are fully aware of what
you ask. Let me give
you a visual.
A glass that is used needs
to be washed on a regular
basis. It will get dirty, pos-
sibly on a daily basis, and
there is always the chance
of it being broken. Then
you have that new glass
just sitting on the shelf
looking pretty; Yet, it
never gets dropped,
washed, or broken. But the
used glass, well it may
not look as nice, it may
have worn spots or even
scars or stains that no
longer wash off, but that
used glass gets to feel the
touch of the masters hand
on a daily basis.
The master spends a lot of
time with the used glass.
By now, you should know
I am no longer talking
about glasses or cups. We
as Christians, if we truly
want to be used, we
must be ready for anything
that comes our way, even
that dreaded possibility of
being broken. Neverthe-
less, unlike a broken glass,
which we would be thrown
out, we have a heavenly
father that can pick us up,
all of our broken pieces,
and put us back together
again.
We never have to live in a
state of feeling dirty, torn,
worn, or used, because
our God uses us then re-
news us. So we can be
used even have battle
scars, and yet because of
whose we are we never
have to fear being thrown
out. We can give and He
will fill and fill. I guess
what I am trying to say is,
although being used can
be a scary, a tough job
sometimes, the alternative
is even scarier to never
feel the Masters hands, to
never know His healing
power, to never be filled.
Now that is a scary
thought. Lord, I pray
prepare my mind, prepare
my heart, prepare my
body to be used for your
divine will and purpose.
In Jesus Name! Amen.
Submitted by: Sister Thompson
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The brand new pastor and his wife,
newly assigned to their first minis-
try, to reopen a church in suburban
Brooklyn, arrived in early October
excited about their opportunities.
When they saw their church, it was
very run down and needed much
work. They set a goal to have eve-
rything done in time to have their
first service on Christmas Eve.
They worked hard, repairing pews,
plastering walls, painting, etc., and
on December 18th were ahead of
schedule and just about finished. On December 19, a terrible
tempest
- a driving rainstorm hit the area
and lasted for two days. On the
21st, the pastor went over to the
church. His heart sank when he
saw that the roof had leaked, caus-
ing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet-- to fall
off the
front wall of the sanctuary just
behind the pulpit, beginning about
head high.
The pastor cleaned up the mess on
the floor, and not knowing what
else to do but postpone the Christ-
mas Eve service, headed home. On
the way, he noticed that a local
business was having a flea market
type sale for charity, so he stopped
in. One of the items was a beauti-
ful, handmade, ivory colored, cro-
cheted tablecloth with exquisite
work, fine colors and a Cross em-
broidered right in the center. It was
just the right size to cover the hole
in the front wall. He bought it and
headed back to the church.
By this time it had started to
snow. He saw an older woman
running from the opposite direction
who was trying to catch the bus, but
she missed it. So the pastor invited
her to wait in the warm church for
the next bus 45 minutes later.
She sat in a pew and paid no atten-
tion to the pastor while he got a
ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the
tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The
pastor could hardly believe how
beautiful it looked and it covered
up the entire problem area. Then he
noticed the woman walking down
the center aisle. Her face was like a
sheet. "Pastor," she asked, "where
did you get that tablecloth?" The
pastor explained. The woman asked
him to check the lower right corner
to see if the initials, EBG were cro-
cheted into it there. They were.
These were the initials of the
woman; and she had made this ta-
blecloth 35 years before, in Austria.
The woman could hardly believe it
as the pastor told how he had just
gotten "The Tablecloth". The
woman explained that before the
war she and her husband were well-
to-do people in Austria. When the
Nazis came, she was forced to
leave. Her husband was going to
follow her the next week, but he
was captured, sent to prison, and
never she never saw her husband or
her home again.
The pastor wanted to give her the
tablecloth; but she made the pastor
keep it for the church. The pastor
insisted on driving her home. That
was the least he could do. She lived
on the other side of Staten Island
and was only in Brooklyn for the
day for a housecleaning job. What a
wonderful service they had on
Christmas Eve. The church was
almost full. The music and the
Spirit were great. At the end of the
service, the pastor and his wife
greeted everyone at the door and
many said that they would return.
One older man, whom the pastor
recognized from the neighborhood,
continued to sit in one of the pews
and stare, and the pastor wondered
why he wasn't leaving.
The man asked him where he got
the tablecloth on the front wall be-
cause it was identical to one that his
wife had made years ago when they
lived in Austria before the war, and
how could there be two tablecloths
so much alike? He told the pastor
how the Nazis came, how he forced
his wife to flee for her safety and
that he was supposed to follow her,
but he was arrested and put in a
prison. He never saw his wife or his
home again all the 35 years be-
tween.
The pastor asked him if he would
allow him to take him for a little
ride. They drove to Staten Island
and to the same house where the
pastor had taken the woman three
days earlier. He helped the man
climb the three flights of stairs to
the woman's apartment, knocked on
the door and he saw the greatest
Christmas reunion he could ever
imagine.
THE TABLE CLOTHTHE TABLE CLOTHTHE TABLE CLOTH
Submitted by: Elder KeslingSubmitted by: Elder KeslingSubmitted
by: Elder Kesling
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I guarantee that you will re-
member the tale of the Wooden
Bowl--whether it be tomorrow,
a week from now, a month
from now, or a year from now...
A frail old man went to live
with his son, daughter-in-law,
and four-year-old grandson.
The old man's hands trembled,
his eyesight was blurred, and
his step faltered. The family ate
together at the table, but the
elderly grandfather's shaky
hands and failing eyesight
made eating difficult. Peas
rolled off his spoon and onto
the floor. When he grasped the
glass, milk spilled on the table-
cloth.
The son and daughter-in-law
became irritated with the mess.
We must do something about
father, said the son. I've had
enough of his spilled milk,
noisy eating, and food on the
floor.
So, the husband and wife set up
a small table in the corner of
the room. There, Grandfather
ate alone while the rest of the
family enjoyed their dinner at
table. And since Grandfather
had broken a dish or two, his
food was served in a wooden
bowl. When the family
glanced in Grandfathers di-
rection, sometimes he had a
tear in his eye as he sat alone.
Still, the only words the couple
had for him were sharp admoni-
tions when he dropped a fork or
spilled food. The four-year-old
watched it all in silence. One eve-
ning before supper, the father
noticed his son playing with
wood scraps on the floor. He
asked the child sweetly, What
are you making? Just as sweetly,
the boy responded, Oh, I am
making a little bowl for you and
Mama to eat your food from
when I grow up. The four-year-
old smiled and went back to
work. The words so struck the
parents so that they were speech-
less. Then tears started to stream
down their cheeks.
Though no word was spoken,
both knew what must be done.
That evening, the husband took
Grandfather's hand and gently led
him back to the family table. For
the remainder of his days he ate
every meal with the family. And
for some reason, neither husband
nor wife seemed to care any
longer when a fork was dropped,
milk spilled, or the tablecloth
soiled. On a positive note, I've
learned that, no matter what hap-
pens, how bad it seems today, life
does go on, and it will be better
tomorrow. I've learned that you
can tell a lot about a person by
the way he/she handles four
things: a rainy day, the elderly,
lost luggage, and tangled Christ-
mas tree lights. I've learned that
making a living is not the same
thing as making a 'life.' I've
learned that life sometimes gives
you a second chance. I've
learned that you shouldnt go
through life with a catcher's mitt
on both hands. You need to be
able to throw something back.
I've learned that if you pursue
happiness, it will elude you, but,
if you focus on your family,
your friends, the needs of others,
your work and doing the very
best you can, happiness will find
you. I've learned that whenever I
decide something with an open
heart, I usually make the right
decision. I've learned that even
when I have pains, I don't have
to be alone. I've learned that
every day, we should reach out
and touch someone. That people
love and need that human touch;
holding hands, a warm hug, or
just a friendly pat on the back.
Give it spiritually, across the
miles, if necessary.
I've learned that I still have a lot
to learn. I've learned that you
should pass this on to everyone
you care about. I just did.
THE WOODEN BOWLTHE WOODEN BOWLTHE WOODEN BOWL
Submitted by: Sister Alice
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ALL EVENTS ARE SUBJEALL EVENTS ARE SUBJEALL EVENTS ARE SUBJECT
TO CHANGECT TO CHANGECT TO CHANGE
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